Ausia Mountains (34)
What the companions had believed would be near to impossible, and surely weeks away, would be achieved in only an hour.
"She will not survive without assistance. She needs the Druid, and soon.", the she-wolf calmly explained to the two conscious members of the trio.
Aurum and Brego glanced at each other before simultaneously nodding.
"The way we will travel will be difficult, possibly painful, but we will not make it in time on foot. You will stay by my side or risk being lost in the ether, understood?", the wolf asked as she turned and began walking.
Brego followed cautiously. He had the natural fear of an apex predator but his distrust of her had to be considered as well. They knew nothing of this creature, but she had defended them. He had to make a choice and quickly. If this was Caeli's only chance, they would have to take it.
As the wolf moved forward she howled gently, a fog closed in on them quickly, it became thick in only seconds and soon Brego could see nothing but the wolf and her offspring. He followed close behind and occasionally glanced at the pups as they followed their mother and playfully ran into each other, as if completely unaffected by their sudden change in surroundings.
They walked for what seemed like hours. Without the sun, it was difficult to judge the time that had passed but the urgency of their situation warped their perception of time even more so. And time was of the essence. Brego could feel Caeli's blood as it dripped hotly down his back. She had stopped groaning and likely succumbed to unconsciousness just before the fog began to lift.
"Miss Caeli?", Brego could hear Aurum say shakily.
The fog eventually dissipated all together and they were suddenly atop the Ausia Mountains. Brego did not need to look around to know that they had been brought to the plateaued portion of the mountain they had seen from a distance. He could sense the change in the air.
They had made it.
Looking ahead was one of the peaks of the mountain and at its base a large cave. Little plant based houses lined the dirt path they walked, heading directly for the cave.
As they drew closer, small creatures watched as they passed by, following the path of the she-wolf.
Some creatures stared openly at the unconscious bleeding woman on the geldings back.
Others realized a human was in their presence and ran for cover.
As they got closer to the mountain peak, it could be seen that a series of holes scattered across its surface showed glimpses of stair cases and furnished rooms, only one as large as the cavern at its base.
"Brego we must hurry. Caeli hasn't responded to me in quite some time. She's gone still and her skin is getting colder.", he said to the horse, fearful.
The she-wolf showed no sign of hearing Aurum but began to pick up speed.
They trotted quickly, the pups now seemingly more aware of the seriousness of the situation, focusing forward and moving swiftly.
They began to enter the cave, the top of the opening so high above, it was impossible to make out the details of the rock that composed it.
Continuing, they loped until they entered a vast room. The peak had been carved away so greatly that the room they came into, was larger than any castle built by human kind. The ceiling above so high that only darkness could be seen.
Holes lined the walls that could be reached by stairs made of wood. More creatures watched from the openings, some observing mid-stride upon the stairways.
As they continued, the air became arid and hot.
They entered the hole opposite them and the walls narrowed becoming a tunnel once more. The dark portions of the cave lit by firelight on sconces.
After a few minutes the walls widened again into another large room although not so large as the first.
At the other end, opposite of the opening they had come through, sat an enormous red dragon upon a dais made of black volcanic rock.
They slowed at the foot of the dragon and stopped 50 yards from the base of his platform.
Volcanic rock with thread-like rivets of pouring lava lined the walls behind the dragon. The small amount of magma that lazily dripped down the wall emitted incredible heat. Despite the lava veining throughout the room giving off enough light to illuminate everything, sconces lined the walls, enormous in size and made entirely of a gold alloy.
"My Lord, we require your assistance.", the she-wolf said, dropping down on her front legs in an elegant bow.
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The dragon had been resting a reptilian arm across a ledge in an oddly human way, observing events being reflected in the boundless golden plate on the wall, when he noticed a presence coming near.
He felt an immense and ancient magic approaching.
His shock was quickly replaced by anger. How could he of missed something so powerful coming his direction?
But there was something wrong with the aura. He focused hard and felt the bubble like shield that surrounded the force.
A cloaking mechanism. A very powerful one.
He sat up as a troupe entered his quarters.
Aowin entered rapidly, her pups and a horse following close behind. They came to a halt before him, small in comparison to his gargantuan size.
He stood on his four feet quickly, his face twisting into concern. Aowin would not have appeared thusly if the situation were not serious.
"My Lord, we require your assistance.", the she-wolf said, dropping down on her front legs in an elegant bow.
"Speak Aowin, your request must be urgent", he rumbled low in his throat. Without looking away from the wolf he reached out with his mind and investigated the horse that had followed her in. The location of the ancient power directly above the gelding.
"My Lord, this child is mortally wounded, without the Druids help she will surely die. She came to the defense of my pups and myself. She is deserving, I am in her debt, as are my children. We ask that we may see the Druid with your leave and have the human child saved.",
Coruscare stepped closer to more closely observe the gelding and his riders.
Laid across his back on her stomach lie a young woman, her face pressed against the geldings heaving side, her long shining hair concealing her face. Her arms and legs hung limp on either side of the horse and dark red blood dripped beneath her.
A large golden snake wrapped around her torso stared at him with hope in his eyes.
But beneath her physical body Coruscare saw the glowing of ancient magic.
She was human, yes, but something else as well.
"Quickly, take her to the infirmary, we will talk more once she is under the care of the Grove.", he said waving a hand through the air as he moved off towards a passage in the wall, causing light to shine seemingly from within himself. In a flash of that bright light the large body of Coruscare disappeared and from it stepped a dragon walking quickly on his two large clawed feet. Close to nine feet tall, his dark red body was humanoid and massive. His head a smaller version of the one he'd had when in his true form, his clawed hands and feet massive as they swung through the air with his movements. He had a long tall, thick at the base, and swaying as he walked.
He strode quickly, entering the large opening in the room to the right of his throne and moved through the wide tunnel that wound upwards. The group passed a few holes in the walls that opened to the outside, large enough to walk through, the view revealed how high they were.
The trees looked unfamiliarly small to Aurum, he had never been so high above ground before.
At another time he might of cared to stop and take in the sight but at the moment he could think only of Caeli. He prayed as they climbed.
Within minutes they had reached a spot that opened up once more. The dragon ducked slightly when entering, the ceiling above rising just enough for him to comfortably stand straight. The wall of the mountain was to the right of the opening they came through, and a long room to the left. The room contained a handful of beds spaced ten feet apart, each with a curtain of leaves dividing each one.
"Quickly.", Coruscare commanded.
His order caused a cascade of action. Women and men with leaves and flowers for hair and bark for skin flew into action. One grabbed a bowl of fresh water from a spout from the side of the rock wall while another gathered linen like fabrics. A wooden man moved swiftly to the wooden shelves lining the wall grabbing various ointments and salves.
Astonishingly the room had no fourth wall. The end of the narrow space ended in an opening to the outside, a gentle breeze came in from the outside and blew at the plant based curtains that were on either side of the opening and on each side of all the beds. Behind the leaf composed curtains, and pulled together, hung almost translucent ones that sparkled in the sunlight, heavier than the leaf curtains, they barely swayed.
"Spider silk, it prevents patients or workers from accidentally tumbling to their death. It's also very effective at breaking the wind.", the dragon said stoically as he saw the hesitant faces of the gelding and snake.
With that, Brego brought Caeli to one of the beds in the middle of the room, not wanting her too close to the entrance but not entirely trusting the spider silk contraption the dragon had explained.
As Brego slowed beside the bed, the creatures came cautiously to his side, likely due to their lack of having ever seen a horse before. Brego remained still as they gently pulled Caeli from his back and laid her on the bed.
Coruscare was more than shocked when the woman was laid face up. Her skin glowed like a harvest moon and her hair mimicked the rich mahogany of the Old World, long forgotten.
She was frail, her body muscular but thinner than it was meant to be. She had dark circles under eyes and a streak of white shone bright against her dark hair.
Despite being covered in blood and dirt from her travels, she was beautiful. It was almost hard to believe she was human.
Coruscare made this assessment in only seconds. He had more important things to address.
Like the Seeing Stone that hung heavy in the woman's cloak. And the power he could sense inside of the woman herself. And how she had come to his mountain top when Coruscare had demolished all routes onto the island years ago.
"Come, the Druid will be arriving, in the meantime, we have much to discuss", he said as he turned and went through the next opening to climb the stairs further.
The wolf nodded and Brego followed with Aurum still on his back.
As Brego went forward, Aurum did not take his eyes from Caeli in the bed. A quivering in his jaw.
"Please be ok miss.", Aurum whispered to himself, turning away only after he was no longer able to see her, to see where they were going.
Hopefully they all would survive this trip.